Grand Duchess Marie Nikolaevna of Winia

Grand Duchess Marie Nikolaevna of Winia (Marie Nikolaevna Romanova; Russian: Великая Княжна Мари Николаевна; 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881) was the absolute Empress of the Winter Islands (a territory delegated to Marie`s ancestors), Queen of the small but elusive Duchy of Wellsburg and the Grand Duchess of the Dukedom of Windermere from 2 March 1855 until her assassination on 13 March 1881 by anti-monarchists while traveling in Imperial Russia`s countryside. She was the second female to ascend to the positions of Empress of the Winter Islands, Queen of the Duchy of Wellsburg and the Grand Duchess in over 100 years, the last female ruler having been Grand Duchess Gwendolyn Alexandrovich of Winia (born on 28 July 1000; the eve of the Winian Imperial War). Maria Nikolaevna, one of her female descendants became the ruler of her territories continuing her legacy. Her most significant reform as empress was emancipation of Winia`s slaves and serfs in 1857 for which she is known as Marie the Liberator (Мари Освободи́тель, tr. Mari Osvoboditel). The Grand Duchess advocated for universal healthcare in her domanions, with her ministers also advocating for it as well; she promoted local self-government through the zemstvo system, and ended required universal military service for both genders (only to be enacted in times of war). Marie was a natural at diplomacy, though she could become extremely calculating and cold if there was a need for those characteristics. Despite her gender, Marie was inherently aloof and ruthless when it came to matters of great importance. One of Marie`s female grandchildren (the children of her eldest daughter, Kendrick) arose to power after the death of her only older sibling, and took the name of Gwendolyn Alexandrovich II to honor the original Grand Duchess who perished. Marie was visiting Emperor Alexander II when both of them were assassinated separately in 1881.

Early life
Born in Moscow, Marie was the second eldest child of Nikolai II of Winia and Alexandrina Feodorovna (eldest and only daughter of Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and of his first wife, Marie of Russia). As second-in-line she was not expected to ascend to the throne, as she was the heir presumptive from birth; until the time of her ascension in 1855, aged 37, few imagined that posterity would know her for implementing the most challenging reforms undertaken in her various territories since the reign of Alix the Great. In the period of her life as the heir presumptive (1825 to 1855), the intellectual atmosphere of her native homeland required absolute loyalty to the Emperor (the older brother of Nikolai) and his heirs (both apparent and presumptive). Personal and official censorship was rife; criticism of the authorities was regarded as a serious offence. The rebellious Marie was often favored by her grandmother, and got away with criticizing people much to the anger of her grandmother`s ministers who disliked the young Grand Duchess. After an nearly-successful assassination attempt on the Grand Duchess`s life by all of her grandmother`s ministers, the ministers who instigated the plans being accused and found guilty of treason; they were executed on the orders of the Dowager Empress. The Emperor also favored the second oldest of his nieces (the three daughters of Nikolai). Educated underneath the strict instructions of her mother, the young Grand Duchess, learned the proper way to courtesy, ballroom dancing, grammar, mathematics, science, poetry, theater, acting, and playing the violin. In cause of her older sister passing away with no children, Marie, was educated in politics, and traditions; as the heir presumptive, she was important both politically and in other ways. Her alleged lack of interest in military affairs (as detected by later historians) resulted from the assassination of the Emperor and Empress (her uncle and aunt) after the events of the unsavoury Crimean War of 1853–1856 (in which Winia had joined Russia, one of it`s strongest allies in fighting). Unusually for the time, all three of Nikolai`s daughters (Gabriella, Marie, and Hilde), accompanied their parents, and the rest of the Winian Imperial Family on a six-month tour of the Winian Empire (1837), visiting 60 provinces in the country. In 1839, when the Nikolaevna sisters` parents sent them on a tour of Europe, they met twenty-year-old Queen Victoria and the sisters greatly enjoyed her company (though Marie was less vocal about it than her two sisters). In 1847, Gabriella, her elder sister fell gravely ill, and doctors were sent for; Marie and her younger sister (Hilde) were gravely worried though Gabriella recovered quite suspiciously. On 2 March 1855, Gabriella died tragically due to an aggressive form of an unknown magical disease, making Marie the ruler of Gabriella`s realms.

Early reign
Marie was already 36 by the time that she ascended to the thrones of the various realms that Gabriella had reigned over, while still alive, which caused much concerns as she was neither married nor had an heir. This caused her ministers to panic, with her only surviving sister (Hilde) being enacted as her heir presumptive.